Will Sasikala be welcomed into the party? The new plan of the ADMK leaders!

Besides addressing the Coronavirus outbreak in the state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami has also been preparing to address the inter and intra-party political developments to have a safe sail on the challenging waves and one of the crucial players for the Chief Minister is to deal with Sasikala and her induction into the party after her acquittal from the prison sentence.

The state ruling party is been preparing a deal with the aim of pacifying Sasikala and her faction. According to our sources, Edappadi Palaniswami and his faction have been expecting that the jailed leader will likely get released in September following which the party would possibly witness a drift over the power and the retention and to avoid such intra-party furor, the Chief Minister has been looking to induct her to the party.

The sources say that Sasikala has put forth a condition to Edappadi Palaniswami on her induction to the party. The closest aide of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had said that she would remain in the party and no one can expel her. She further asked the party's joint co-ordinator to convene the party's general body committee meet and select her as the party's General-Secretary as she came into prison as the general secretary of ADMK and she wishes to get acquitted by having the post back to her.

Her statement was passed to the Chief Minister and he is yet to decide on naming her as Jayalalithaa's successor. Upon hearing Palaniswami's move, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister and party's chief-coordinator Panneerselvam had also reached to Sasikala to show his support.

Panneerselvam was one of the important faces which revolted the party in 2017 against the rise of Sasikala as the general secretary and now, our sources stated that he has decided to be the former rival. Pannerselvam has written to Sasikala in which he called the latter to replace Jayalalithaa as the party's general secretary to revive the party back on the track. The Deputy Chief Minister has expressed his wish that he should continue as the party's treasurer while Sasikala takes as the general secretary.

In his letter, he cited that Jayalalithaa had bestowed him the post of party's treasurer and he also blamed the Chief Minister. To pacify Sasikala, Panneerselvam claimed that 90% of the state ministers are supporting her to the elevation of the party's top post as both the current leaders have been turning lenient towards the jailed leader with the view of retaining the power and position as the state is just a year ahead to face the next legislative elections.

File Photo: Jayalalithaa and Sasikala

Sasikala had been the closest aide of Jayalalithaa and she was named as the party's general secretary in January 2017 after the demise of Jayalalithaa. However, she hadn't sworn the post as she has been sentenced with four years of imprisonment for the Disproportionate Assets Case and currently been lodged in Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bangalore.